Five minutes after settling into the hilltop perch I had reserved for my family on the Greek island of Paros, I felt the embarrassing sucker punch of being duped.
The so-called “luxury” villa certainly had the spectacular views promised online. But the structure looked like an identical house, without the frills or charm (but lots of ants) that one might expect from a property that describes itself as exclusive. Unfortunately, this unexpected scenario is familiar to many. Here’s why: When the word “luxury” is plastered on everything from apartments to dog food to bottled water, consumers are confused about a pedestrian product that’s actually ostentatious or appears to be ostentatious. Even experienced journalists are deceived.
lack of regulation
You know what you’re getting into when you buy a Dior bag or a Rolex watch because these brands have stood for high quality for decades. Luxury travel, on the other hand, does not come with a certificate of authenticity. It’s an unregulated market with no hard and fast criteria to saturate marketing materials with some sort of “luxury” word, even if the product is average. This puts hotels like the extraordinary 500-room W hotel in Times Square or the three-thousand-passenger Celebrity Edge cruise ship in the same category as La Réserve Paris, a true five-star property.
STR, a global hospitality data and analytics company, owns 2,357 luxury hotels in the United States, 2,999 in Europe and 540 in the United Kingdom. Their methodology? Average daily rate for the room (currently around £355). Not design. Not exceptional customer service.
“Anyone can declare themselves a luxury product. But people know true luxury when they experience it,” says Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of Indagare, a members-only tour operator known for its members-only itineraries. “It is personalized and special with meticulous attention to detail.”
Not so long ago, grand marble-clad hotels offering white-glove service were the standard of luxury.
Hotels led
The landscape changed in the nineties when “experiential” boutique hotels like the Mondrian and Delano emerged. “This is a phase we call self-expression, where hotels become less traditional and begin to appeal to a younger, fashion-forward crowd that prefers a simple, ‘intuitive’ style of service to formality,” says Federica Levato. He heads the luxury goods and fashion division of Bain & Company. At the same time – and continuing into the next decade – giant publicly traded chains added or acquired leading brands like Andaz (Hyatt); Ritz-Carlton, Edition and St. Regis (Marriott); Conrad (Hilton); Kimpton and InterContinental (IHG). They all work with the loyalty points and franchise model. Conclusion? Homogeneity.
Design that feels like it’s everywhere; abundant “smart technology” to replace up to nine trained personnel; inconsistent cleaning. “Mainstream hotels are the core business of chains like Marriott, IHG, Hilton, Accor and Hyatt,” says Richard Clarke, managing director of Bernstein Research Global Hotels and Leisure. “Luxury properties create a halo effect around the entire brand, which fuels their loyalty programs.”
Staying at one of these spots can be great, especially if you’re not familiar with the alternative. But often franchise hotels with strong loyalty points programs offer a subdued, mass-market version of luxury. And thanks to the points redemption formula, these chain hotels are always packed to the gills.
“The concept of mass luxury is an oxymoron,” explains Indagare’s Biggs Bradley. “When you’re a guest in a 400-seat cookie room, any sense of feeling special, of being cared for, evaporates.”
Local Stranger’s travel advisor Stephanie Fisher agrees. “I learned that a one-size-fits-all mentality did not meet my client’s expectations,” she said. These expressions resonate with me, too. By definition, corporate hospitality is about return on investment, not blowing the guest’s mind.
Not all chains are public. Smaller, luxury-oriented ones like Rosewood, Belmond, Michel Reybier, Peninsula, Auberge, Mandarin Oriental and Rocco Forte practice curation and old-world hospitality. For example, at the Hotel de Russie (Rocco Forte) in Rome, The Carlyle (Rosewood) in Manhattan, and La Réserve (Michel Reybier) in Paris, guests receive advance service (personalized greetings, a thoughtful concierge reaching out to a food-savvy customer). They are amazed by it. about a new restaurant), amenities that enhance the experience (birthday champagne, locally sourced care products) and design that highlights the spirit of the destination.
And the market is still developing. Luxury retail brands are expanding into hospitality; There are claims that branded hotels will increase their relevance in customers’ lives. The Baccarat Hotel in Manhattan is adorned with Baccarat crystal chandeliers and vases, as well as the brand’s glassware in guest rooms. Cheval Blanc in Paris, a project owned by LVMH, features brands on the company’s equipment, from Ruinart champagne to lotions created by Dior perfumer François Demachy (he also owns a Dior spa). These hotels, as well as those by Armani and Bulgari, have become extremely popular for their elegant settings and exclusivity.
So how can you tell serious luxury from show-offs?
Research rating systems, but know that each country has its own methodology. The UK’s system is accredited by the Automobile Association, which has a 35-page breakdown of Hotel Recognition Scheme criteria. Meanwhile, the EU has a non-profit organization called Hotelstars Union, which lists physical criteria but unfortunately does not base the star system on service. The United States relies on AAA and Forbes Travel Guide, an independent global rating agency.
As for reader-generated lists? Attention. These are not based on research or standards, just mass surveys.
My villa in Greece was disappointing, but the experience taught me a lesson: Going forward, I’ll insist on doing a FaceTime tour of a rental property before booking to make sure the reality matches the online descriptions.